Regular readers (I know there’s a couple of you – don’t worry, I won’t tell your parents) will note that I like to develop features to go with my sports seasons. It lends a little consistency and intellectual laziness to the week. Since I started the blog in October of last year, I’ve only managed to cover college football (Porn Name All-Stars) and basketball (Who The Hell Are…?).
My feature for the MLB season is called Smells Like Pujols. Jose Alberto Pujols has been the undisputed center of my fantasy baseball team for three years now, and is a consensus first-round (if not #1) pick in most fantasy drafts. He’s pretty good in real life, too. Using his rookie year as the gold standard, I will be tracking the prospects of several MLB newbies this year. At the end of the season, we will truly know who Smells Like Pujols. I’ll update the standings every week, probably on Mondays.
I’m only looking at hitters. I would go crazy trying to figure out how to value closers vs. starters, and pitchers are less likely to do well as rookies. Besides, what would I call it: Feels Like Papelbon?
I tried to come up with my own statistical system for this. While I did take Statistics, I wouldn’t say I exactly absorbed the concept. So I turned to the Wizard – Bill James. I’m going to use his Similarity Scores concept, with Albert as 1000, and all contenders will be building toward that number during the season. If someone drops down to the minors, their stats stop accruing, but they stay on the board in hopes of being called back up unless it just becomes pathetic to watch some poor guy wallow.
| Year | Team | Lg | Age | Org. | Level | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP | IBB | SH | SF | DP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OP |
| 2001 | St. Louis | MLB | 21 | Stl | MLB | log – sp | 161 | 590 | 112 | 194 | 47 | 4 | 37 | 130 | 1 | 3 | 69 | 93 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 21 | .329 | .403 | .610 | 1013 |
The 2006 rookie who compares best in my opinion is Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman, who compiled these statistics last year:
| 2006 | Washington | MLB | 21 | Wan | MLB | 3b | 157 | 614 | 84 | 176 | 47 | 3 | 20 | 110 | 11 | 8 | 61 | 120 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 15 | .287 | .351 | .471 | 822 |
Using this system, Zim takes big hits in HR, AVG, and SLG, but still manages a very respectable 876. Obviously, he smells a great deal like Pujols.*
I’ll be looking at the standard rookie lists during spring training, but I’m also opening the floor for nominations. If your hometown club has a rookie giving off the whiff of greatness, let me know his name.
Now – I have to go make a chart to go with this so I can add it to the “Shitty Photoshopping” category as well. Looking forward to reading your suggestions!
*Pujols is a native Dominican who moved the U.S. and grew up in Kansas City, so I’d imagine he smells like a combo of Chicken & Rice, Arthur Bryant’s BBQ, and Ferrari Red cologne. That, and success. He reeks of success.
That chart is close to unreadable. You need to find a way to space everything out. Anyway, just about anyone from Tampa is probably worth keeping an eye on. Upton/Longoria/Young/Dukes. Oh, and those fellows in Kansas City, Butler and Gordon.
I’d love to see if I can come up with a method of weighing pitchers like this…
Did Pujols grow up in Kansas City Kansas, Kansas City Missouri, or Kansas City Dominican Republic?
Oh, and Jay Bruce. Don’t forget him.
[...] let The Extrapolater explain for himself what Smells Like Pujols is: My feature for the MLB season is called Smells Like Pujols. Jose Alberto [...]
YOu have some format issues but I agree that Zimmerman will blossom quickly. He won’t be as good as Puljols but he’ll turn into a solid keeper for sure.
http://thegnuru.com/GNUru_Home.php
[...] you need a refresher in the SLP concept, look back (but pretend you don’t see the hideous cut-and-paste stat [...]
[...] can’t wait to get mine after the Smells Like Pujols six-year plan finally pays off and I take the Roto crown this year. Or it go the way it usually [...]